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Henry Carver
Henry William Carver, DSO, MC & Bar (February 6, 1918 - September 28, 2009) was a New Zealand Army officer who served in World War II, the Malayan Emergency, the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation, and the Vietnam War. Early life and family Carver was born on February 6, 1918, in the city of Hamilton in the region of Waikato on the North Island of New Zealand. His father, Samuel Andrew Carver (1880-1961) was a watchmaker of mostly English descent. In 1927, Pauline Beatrice Westland (1887-1983) divorced her husband and gained sole custody of Henry and the other Carver children. She took them by train from Hamilton all the way to Wellington, where she remarried. Carver completed his secondary education at Wellington High School in 1936, and immediately upon graduation enlisted in the Territorial Force. Military service World War II Serving as a reservist in the Territorial Force, Carver was promoted to Corporal in 1937, and again to Sergeant in 1938. By 1939, he was one of the highest-ranking enlisted men in his unit and displayed a military aptitude which was quickly noticed by his superiors. On September 1, 1939, Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany invaded Poland, prompting immediate declarations of war from Great Britain and France. Following suit with the other commonwealth nations, New Zealand declared war against Germany as well, and ordered the establishment of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force. The New Zealand Division was born from this, and Sergeant Carver volunteered for its service. In November, he reported to Trentham Camp, where he joined the newly-formed 22nd Battalion, made up of recruits from the Wellington region. He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in A Company, commanding a rifle platoon. The next year, the battalion was placed in the 5th Infantry Brigade, New Zealand Division. The division's training was completed after several months, and the New Zealanders embarked to join the Allied forces in Egypt in May 1940. The fall of France in June made a quick change of plans necessary, and the NZ Division was rerouted on the way to the Middle East to divert to Great Britain. In the south of England, Lieutenant Carver and his men took up defensive positions, preparing to meet the planned cross-channel German invasion known as Operation Sealion. After several months of garrison duty, it was apparent that the German invasion was not going to happen and the New Zealand Division was to be sent back to the Middle East. The 5th Brigade landed in Egypt in March 1941 and immediately prepared to deploy to Greece, which was under threat of German invasion. Operation Lustre saw the NZ Division land in mainland Greece and march through Athens to establish a defensive line at Katerini. On April 6, Nazi Germany commenced its invasion of the country, beginning the Battle of Greece. The Katerini position soon became untenable and Lietenant Carver's men were ordered to pull back to the Olympus Pass and make a stand there. The New Zealanders were soon engaged and Carver and the 22nd Battalion fended off multiple strong German attacks while the Germans attempted to flank the Commonwealth positions. The 5th Brigade soon retreated to Brallos Pass at Thermopylae, where they prepared to hold but were ordered to retreat as the Germans approached the area. The 5th Brigade was to be the first of the division to be evacuated from the mainland, but Carver's men were ordered to join the rearguard. In the Battle of Thermopylae, the New Zealanders repulsed the Germans for two days before being ordered to retreat. Carver and his men rejoined the brigade just as they were evacuated to the island of Crete. On Crete, the 22nd Battalion prepared for the defense of the strategically important island. Late in May 1941, the island was hit by a massive German airborne invasion, beginning the Battle of Crete. Lieutenant Carver's men engaged the Germans in an intense battle for the Maleme Airfield and Hill 107. Carver and his unit evacuated Hill 107, losing control of the airfield. They counterattacked the Germans the next day, but this failed. With no other options, the combined New Zealand/Australian/British/Greek force holding Crete began to withdraw. For the next few days, Carver's men fought a series of rearguard actions against the pursuing Germans, supporting an Australian counterattack at the Battle of 42nd Street. The withdrawal continued as the Germans pressed their advance, but the 22nd Battalion was able to throw back a German attack at Souda and again the next day at Stylos. Eventually pulling back to the coast, the New Zealanders formed a defensive perimeter as the Allied force withdrew. Carver was among the last of the battalion to evacuate, and the NZ Division landed in Egypt in June. Based out of Alexandria, the 22nd Battalion and the rest of the division were reconstituted over a period of several months. Losses were replaced, equipment was restocked, and the men were retrained. Combat exercises took place until November, when the NZ Division was ordered to take part in Operation Crusader, aimed at relieving the Siege of Tobruk in Libya. The offensive began in the middle of the month, with the New Zealanders outflanking the German and Italian forces and advancing to the Sidi Azeiz area, and within a week Lieutenant Carver and his men had linked up with the Tobruk garrison. The attack pressed on, and the 5th Brigade attempted to capture the Italian-held Fort Capuzzo. The New Zealanders were repulsed in their first attempt, but Carver's men advanced down the Sollum-Bardia Road, outflanking and cutting off the Axis forces in the Sidi Omar area. Around this time, the Axis forces began a counterattack which threw aside the Commonwealth defenders and pushed all the way to the Sollum area, where Lieutenant Carver's men to held their ground against the Germans and Italians. Later, the 22nd Battalion fought off a German attack at Bir el Menastir, delaying the enemy retreat. Although many of the other New Zealand forces suffered many reverses in the coming days, Carver and the 22nd Battalion managed to hold their ground. Early in December, they fought back a German attack on the Bardia Road meant to relieve the Axis border strongholds. The 5th Brigade then attacked the Gazala line, fighting against determined Italian resistance until the Axis forces withdrew from the area. Crusader had been a great success, and the now-battered NZ Division was sent to newly-conquered Syria to rest. They recouped from their losses and held defensive positions for a quiet couple of months. The 22nd Battalion was stationed at Alfrine near Aleppo. The division was also redesignated the 2nd New Zealand Division during this quiet period. However, by June 1942, the Axis forces were gaining ground in North Africa and had pushed the Commonwealth out of Libya and into Egypt. The New Zealanders were hurriedly called up to help hold the line. The 2nd New Zealand Division took up positions at the Minqar Qaim and prepared to recieve an Axis attack. In the ensuing Battle of Mersa Matruh, the New Zealanders held their ground against the Germans but had their avenue of retreat cut off in the process. Surrounded on all sides, the New Zealanders began a desperate breakout attempt. Lieutenant Carver and his men attacked and broke through the German defenses in fierce hand to hand combat. With the breakout complete, the 2nd Division retreated to the next Allied line of defense at El Alamein in Egypt. In the First Battle of El Alamein, the New Zealanders counterattacked towards El Mreir, pushing through the advancing Italians before resistance stiffened and the attack was called off. Another attack was planned, and the 22nd Battalion assaulted Ruweisat Ridge, pushing the Italians off the point but being subject to a German counterattack in which the battalion was surrounded. Lieutenant Carver and his men escaped, but much of the rest of the battalion was not so lucky. The battle had ended in a stalemate, but the Axis advance into Egypt had been stalled. After the battalion's losses, it was reconstituted at Maadi before returning to the line at Ruweisat in August. During the Second Battle of El Alamein in October 1942, the New Zealanders were held in reserve until Operation Supercharge, where they broke through the German lines and got around the enemy flank, advancing towards Sidi Haneish and capturing Halfaya Pass. With the Axis decisively pushed out of Egypt, the pursuit was temporarily halted. The 22nd Battalion was ordered back to Maadi for conversion to a motorized formation, but Lieutenant Carver continued onwards with the other elements of the 5th Brigade. Advancing through Libya, the 2nd Division stopped to rest at Bardia before pressing on. In December, the New Zealanders were called up to fight the Battle of El Agheila, where they attempted to encircle a German force but failed after Italian resistance stopped the attack. They tried again at Nofaliya, but this too was a failure. In the pursuit of the Axis into Tunisia, the 2nd Division formed the Allied left flank. Fighting through German rearguard actions, the Commonwealth forces finally entered Tripoli in January 1943 and continued into Tunisia. In the Battle of the Mareth Line, the New Zealanders formed the left hook of Operation Pugilist in March, securing the entrance to the Tebaga Gap. In Operation Supercharge II, Carver's men took Hill 184 and continued on to Wadi Aisoub, stopping a German counterattack along the way. The New Zealanders continued to push along the coastal plain to Enfidaville, where resistance generally stiffened. Here, the Allied troops held their positions until the end of the campaign, which ended with the fall of Tunis in May. With North Africa under Allied control, The 2nd New Zealand Division was refitted and reorganized. Carver rejoined the 22nd Battalion, where he was promoted to Captain and given command of one of the battalion's three motor companies. By October, the 2nd Division had set sail for Italy to take part in the ongoing campaign on the peninsula. In November 1943, the New Zealanders had arrived on the front line and were quickly committed to the Allied advance across the Sangro River plain, where they swept aside the German defenders and secured their objectives. In December, the 2nd Division attacked across the Moro River. Captain Carver's men fought their way into the town of Orsogna, but German resistance stiffened and the New Zealanders were forced to withdraw having failed to take their objective. Another attempt, Operation Florence, was launched, and Carver led his men in a flanking maneuver which dented the German line and established a strong position, repelling a counterattack in the process. Dispite these successes, further attacks were failures and Orsogna was still in enemy hands. With winter approaching and the division needing a rest, the offensive was called off until the weather improved. While the Commonwealth forces had been fighting on the Moro River, the Americans struggled to capture Monte Cassino and open the route to Rome. In February 1944, the 2nd New Zealand Division was committed to the ongoing Battle of Monte Cassino. In Operation Avenger, Carver's men supported a joint New Zealand and Indian attack which came close to securing their objecives but were forced to withdraw by a German counterattack. Another attack was planned for March, and this time the 2nd Division made more progress. Carver led his troops to take Hill 165 and helped to push the Germans off Castle Hill. An assault on the town and the nearby monastery was planned for the next day but a fierce German attack on Castle Hill delayed offensive plans until the enemy could be repulsed. The attack on Cassino town made very slow progress and by the end of the month it was clear that little further progress could be made. After this battle, the New Zealanders were withdrawn from the area and moved to another part of the front where they would lead the advance on Florence. Monte Cassino would not fall until May. Advancing up the Adriatic Coast in June 1944, the 2nd Division pursued the retreating German forces. After Rome fell, the New Zealanders took Avezzano and pressed the attack on the Allied right flank, taking Arezzo in July. Captain Carver's men secured the crest of the eastern Pian dei Cerri hills, and in doing so facilitated the Allied capture of Florence in August. Reaching the Gothic Line, they pushed forwards as a part of Operation Olive, breaking through the German defenses throughout the month. In the Battle of Rimini, the New Zealanders attacked the town of Monticelli and the Rimini airfield, helping to secure both in September. In the winter of 1944 to 1945, the offensive was again postponed so as not to suffer from weather difficulties. Captain Carver and the men of the 22nd Battalion held the line near the Senio River for several months, undergoing significant organizational changes. In April 1945, it was time for the final offensive to put the last nail in the coffin of German forces in Italy. In Operation Grapeshot, the 2nd Division crossed the Senio River towards the Po River Valley and then crossed the Santero River only a few days later. By the end of the month, the New Zealanders had fought their way across the Piave River and smashed through the Germans on the other side, racing forward to capture the city of Trieste in May. They defeated the last German resistance in the area near Miramare, when the Axis forces in Italy surrendered on May 2, 1945. The German unconditional surrender soon followed, and hostilities ceased. After the end of the war, Captain Carver and the rest of the 2nd New Zealand Division remained in the Trieste area so as to counter the presence of the Communist Yugoslav Partisans, who wanted to forcibly annex the city. The conflict was resolved diplomatically, and the New Zealanders left the area in June 1945 to Perugia and then Florence. The 2nd New Zealand Division was disbanded shortly after. Occupation of Japan In November 1945, J Force was formed in Florence, Italy. Its purpose was to be New Zealand's contribution to the Allied occupation of the Japanese home islands. Captain Carver's 22nd Battalion was soon integrated into the force, and the New Zealanders arrived on the coast of Japan in March 1946. Carver and the battalion carried out occupation duties in Yamaguchi Prefecture in southern Honshu, doing jobs such as disarming Japanese forces, busting black market rings, and supervising local elections. Captain Carver was also for a short period a member of the New Zealand honor guard in Tokyo which carried out ceremonial duties at the Imperial Palace and the British Embassy. In August 1947, the 22nd Battalion was redesignated the 2nd Battalion, New Zealand Regiment. In April 1948, the decision was made to withdraw the New Zealand forces from Japan. Carver's unit departed in September and returned to New Zealand. After the battalion was disbanded, Captain Carver applied and was accepted into the 1st Battalion, New Zealand Regiment. Malayan Emergency Carver remained in the New Zealand Army for the next decade, remaining as commander of a company in the regiment. In 1958, with the Communist insurgency in Malaysia on its last legs, the 1st Battalion was ordered to make a deployment to Malaysia. Captain Carver and the New Zealanders arrived on the Malay Peninsula in March, and joined up with the 28th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade Group. The battalion's objective was to clear the province of Perak from Malayan National Liberation Army insurgents. Mounting patrols from the cities of Ipoh and Grik, the New Zealanders succeeded in flushing out MNLA guerrillas and inflicting many casualties. By the time the unit was replaced in country by its sister battalion late in 1959, most of the terrorists in the area had fled across the border into southern Thailand. The emergency was declared over in 1960, and the New Zealanders were able to return home. Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation In 1961, Captain Carver was placed in the Army reserve. He spent the next few years at his home in Wellington. However, when he learned of the Indonesian government's declaration of confrontation against Malaysia, he requested to return to active duty. In 1963, Carver was promoted to Major, and he joined his regiment In Malaysia, where they were to guard the border against the Indonesian infiltrators. Despite the New Zealand government's reluctance to send additional forces to the country, Indonesia had every intent to escalate the conflict. The New Zealanders were camped near Malacca when, in September 1964, a force of Indonesian soldiers conducted the Landing at Labis, infiltrating via airborne insertion. Major Carver and the battalion, some of the only Allied forces in the area, were quickly dispatched to round up the Indonesians. In a month-long operation, the New Zealanders killed or captured nearly all of the enemy force. In October, the Indonesians made another incursion, this time at Pontian. The infiltrators were all soon captured. Around this time, the unit was renamed the 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment. Around this time, the amount of Indonesian forces on the border of Malaysian Sarawak in Borneo began to steadily increase. The New Zealand government had so far resisted the appeals to send forces to the island, but with forces greatly overstretched, 1 RNZIR was sent to Borneo to help with the counterinsurgency campaign. In May 1965, the New Zealanders fought a series of engagements with Indonesian forces on the southern border of Sarawak until they were relieved in October. Major Carver took part in several patrols into Indonesian territory during this period. 1 RNZIR returned to mainland Malaysia in May 1966, when an end to the conflict was negotiated between the two countries. Vietnam War With the Confrontation over, New Zealand came under pressure to escalate its involvement in the conflict in Vietnam, where the Viet Cong insurgency, backed by the North Vietnamese military, was growing in strength. In 1967, it was decided to send a company of volunteers to serve in Vietnam alongside their Australian counterparts. Major Carver was specifically selected to command this formation, and in May 1967, Victor Company arrived in country. Assigned to the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, part of the 1st Australian Task Force, the New Zealanders took part in many counterinsurgency operations mounted from their base at Nui Dat. Major Carver and his men successfully made contact with and defeated Viet Cong forces several times during this period. In December, V Company was set to be withdrawn and replaced, but the New Zealand Headquarters in Saigon decided to keep Carver in country. He was to travel and operate with 1 RNZIR forces, but would answer directly to them. In early 1968, an "ANZAC" battalion was formed, with two New Zealand companies attached to the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment. 2 RAR/NZ was quickly committed to Operation Coburg, a mission to prevent further attacks on Saigon in the wake of the Communist Tet Offensive. Carver took part in many patrols in Bien Hoa province, which resulted in heavy contacts with the Viet Cong throughout March. In January 1969, the New Zealanders, now with 4 RAR/NZ, were committed to Operation Goodwood. In the Battle of Hat Dich, Major Carver took part in many successful patrols and ambushes against Viet Cong forces. After the Hat Dich area had been cleared, Carver was ordered back to Saigon. It would be his last combat action in Vietnam. Major Carver remained in Saigon, working at the New Zealand heaquarters for the next two years. By 1971, it was clear that an Allied withdrawal was necessary. Carver helped coordinate New Zealand's withdrawal, and in December of that year, he joined the last 1 RNZIR company in its departure for Singapore. After three months in Singapore, Major Henry Carver officially resigned from the New Zealand Army on February 16, 1972. Personal life In 1949, Henry Carver married Ayumi Nishimura, a Japanese woman who was living in the city of Yamaguchi at the same time that Carver was stationed there. The two fell in love and Nishimura agreed to move to New Zealand with Carver, and the two were married while Carver was still on active duty. They had two children, Patrick Daniel and Marianne Dorothy. After his retirement from military service, Carver and his wife moved to Upper Hutt in the Wellington Region, where they helped take care of Carver's aging mother until her death in 1983. On September 28, 2009, Henry William Carver passed away of old age. Carver was a lifelong friend of Greek soldier Dimitrios Koutoufides. The two had met in 1941 when they fought on Crete as a part of the same brigade. They also served together in the Western Desert and in Italy, where the 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade and the 3rd Greek Mountain Brigade fought side by side at Rimini. After the war, they maintained correspondance, and were even able to visit the other's country on occasion. Carver was present at Koutoufides's funeral in 2006, and Phoebe Koutoufidou, Dimitrios's widow, attended Carver's funeral in 2009. Views Carver was a supporter of the Labour Party during the war and immediately after, due in large part to his admiration of Prime Minister Peter Fraser. However, during the 1949 election, he switched his allegiance to the National Party, viewing the current Labour administration as mishandling the economy, too soft on Communism, and generally indecisive. Henry Carver was a practicing Christian of the Anglican denomination. Equipment During World War II, Carver used the Lee-Enfield Mk III bolt-action rifle, the Enfield No.2 Mk I* revolver, and the Mills Bomb M36 fragmentation grenade. During the Emergency, the Confrontation, and the Vietnam War, Carver used the L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle, L9A1 Browning Hi-Power pistol, and the M26 grenade fragmentation grenade.Category:Soldiers in World War II Category:Soldiers in the Malayan Emergency Category:Soldiers in the Indonesia-Malaysia Confrontation Category:Soldiers in the Vietnam War Category:New Zealand soldiers Category:British Commonwealth soldiers